Small Children, Small Town, Big Hearts
by muse-of-the-fairies
Summary: Sorry for the title, but I was out of inspiration... It is set four years after Small Town LifeThe HalliwellWyatt's are still living in Stars Hollow. Crossover with Charmed... Just read and find out the rest
1. Naughty Girls

_A/N: Okay, so it took me like six months, but I'm back. Sorry, but I hadn't had the time to write anymore. So, I wrote the beginning for this story just now… I have to warn you, after seeing the new version of Charlie and the chocolate factory, I really found it was time to see the original one. And I've kind of gotten addicted to it…_

_A/N: So, I hope everyone likes this already…_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any character that you recognize from tv… Gilmore Girls characters are unfortunately owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino, while Charmed characters are owned by Constance M. Burge. Hannah and Prue, however, are mine and so is everyone else you don't know…**_

_**The Story so far:** Five years ago, Piper and Leo Halliwell-Wyatt and their two children, Wyatt and Chris, left San Francisco for the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, after losing their powers. There, they met a very hyperactive Inn owner named Lorelai Gilmore and her husband, Luke Danes. The two families became friends and soon the Halliwell-Wyatt's were a part of the community. Piper got a job as the teacher of a cooking class at Stars Hollow High and Leo got a job as a doctor. During their first year there, both Lorelai and Piper got pregnant. So respectively nine and ten months after the arrival of the Wyatt's, Hannah Mia Gilmore-Danes and Prudence Melinda Halliwell were brought into the world. Jess also transferred to Yale. That's the story of Small Town Life and what happened in between…well, you'll just have to read and find out. _

"Lorelai!" Luke roared from the kitchen. He couldn't believe this.

"What's the problem?" His wife yelled from upstairs.

"Get in here!"

Lorelai sighed and ran downstairs. "Yes?"

The man just pointed at the white kitchen cupboards. "Why are there pink bunnies on there?"

Lorelai couldn't help but grin when she saw the piece of art that was on display all over the kitchen.

"Why are you laughing? This is not funny!" Luke shook his head.

"You know, I think I know why this happened."

Luke frowned "There is a reason why our daughter suddenly felt the urge to draw on cupboards?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Hannah, hon, come from behind the door, will you?"

The four-year-old entered, looking at the floor. Luke didn't understand that. How did she know that the girl had been standing there?

"Instinct." Lorelai answered, as if he'd said it out loud. She lowered herself to her daughter's level.

"Hannah?"

"Yes mommy?"

"Why are there bunnies on the cupboards?"

"They're elephants, mommy!"

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, why are there elephants on the cupboards?"

Hannah looked from her mother to her father and back to her mother. "Because you told me to go and draw in the kitchen."

Lorelai frowned. "Hannah, on what do we draw normally?"

The little girl shrugged. "Paper?"

"Good." Lorelai nodded. "And on what don't we draw?"

Now this was a harder question. "Daddy's menu's?" The girl tried.

Lorelai and Luke both chuckled at this comment. "Yes, that is true, but not what I meant. When mommy tells you to go draw, you draw on some paper, not on the walls, not on the table, not on the cupboards. Not on any piece of furniture whatsoever. Okay?"

"Okay mommy."

Lorelai gave her a hug and stood up.

Hannah went to her father and looked up. "I'm sorry, daddy."

Luke sighed. He couldn't resist those eyes. "Oh come here!" He picked Hannah up and twirled her around.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mommy, mommy!" Piper opened her eyes. Where was she? She looked around. Had she really fallen asleep on the couch again?

"What's wrong Prue?"

The girl held up a soaked doll, which was dripping on the floor. "Wyatt threw Veruca in the toilet!"

Piper sighed. Veruca was Prue's favourite doll, Lorelai had given it to her two years ago (and gave it her name). She got up and went to the stairs, taking Prue by her free hand.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell! Get down here immediately!" Seven-year-old Wyatt stormed down the stairs. He was still holding a lego helicopter, which he had been playing with.

"Yes mommy?"

"Why did you throw Veruca in the toilet?"

Wyatt looked at her, not-understanding and then saw Prue. "I didn't throw the doll in, she did it herself!" The little boy exclaimed.

Prue put out her tongue behind her mother's back. "I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!

"Did too!"

"Will you stop it! Both of you!" Piper sighed. It was like she was little again and standing between her two sisters.

"Prue did it." A little voice from the stairs said.

Piper looked up. "Chris?"

The six year old shrugged. "I saw it."

"Tell-tale!" Prue reacted.

"Prudens Melinda Halliwell!"

"Wyatt made me do it! He told me that I wouldn't dare."

Piper shook her head.

"Okay. Prue, lying is not nice. You can't just blame things on your brother. No dessert tonight."

"But mommy!" The girl complained.

"No buts. And now go give Veruca a bath." The little child nodded and disappeared to her room.

"Now, Wyatt."

The boy was looking at the floor.

"It is not nice of your sister to accuse you, but your sister is still little and you can't mess around with her head, you understand what I am saying?"

The boy nodded. "I can't tell her that she's a scaredy-cat."

"Good, so, no more making Prue do silly things. You won't get dessert either."

"But it's not my fault she's so dumb!"

"Wyatt! Watch your words or you'll go to bed early today."

Sulkingly, the little boy went up the stairs to his own bedroom.

Piper wanted to go to the kitchen, when she saw a figure still sitting on the stairs. "Chris? What's wrong?"

"Am I not getting dessert either?"

Piper frowned. "Why wouldn't you get dessert?"

"'Cause I'm a blabbermouth."

"Chris, come here." The boy came down the stairs. Piper gave him a hug. "You just told the truth, there is nothing wrong with that." Chris nodded and smiled.

"I don't like it when they fight."

"I know, honey, me neither, but you don't have to worry about it too much, they love each other."

"They do?"

Piper smiled and sat down on the couch. "Come sit on my lap."

Chris crawled on her lap. "When mommy was little, aunt Prue and aunt Phoebe were always fighting like Wyatt and Prue."

"Really?"

"Yes, and mommy tried to solve it as well. And when we got bigger, they stopped fighting and became good friends."

"What about aunt Paige? Didn't she fight with you?"

"No honey, remember that we told you that we met aunt Paige after aunt Prue had died?" A tear rolled over her cheek.

"Don't cry mommy." Piper smiled and pressed her son against her. "I love you."

"I love you too mommy."

"Now go and play."

Chris ran upstairs.

Piper sighed. She missed Prue. Every time she saw her little girl, she reminded her of her older sister. It was remarkable how much she looked like her aunt.

The phone rang.


	2. Familiar Faces

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys like it… So, bit by bit you'll discover what has been going on the last four years, and in this chapter…there's some revealing done…_

"Piper Halliwell."

"Guess what?" Piper smiled, she knew that voice.

"You got your own talk show?"

Phoebe Halliwell snorted. "Already had that remember, that didn't turn out that well…"

"Phoebe, spill it." Piper wasn't a fan of games.

"Look outside."

Piper grinned when she saw a car come up the drive-way. She ran outside.

Her sisters jumped out of the car and the three hugged. "We thought it was time to say hello." Phoebe continued the conversation of before.

"You have no clue." Piper answered.

"We aren't interrupting, are we?" Paige was all for the impulsive nature of Phoebe, but she wasn't quite sure if Piper was.

"Never." Piper said.

"Good, 'cause I don't feel like jumping on a plane right now."

"Paige apparently is air-sick…" Phoebe teased.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Piper joined in.

"God, no." Paige shook her head. She loved children, sure, and she wanted them, but she wasn't ready for it at all.

"Mommy!" A voice came from the car.

Phoebe opened the door and lifted her two-year-old daughter out of the car seat.

"Oh my God, is that Pia?" Piper couldn't believe her eyes. In a few months, the girl had changed so much. Phoebe had sent her pictures, but it was still different actually seeing it. The baby had gone and this tiny person had appeared. A little Phoebe, to be exact. Except Pia had blonde hair…

"Yeah, I know, she grows faster than you can imagine." Phoebe couldn't hide the pride in her voice.

"Aunt Pipew." The girl exclaimed, while running over to her aunt and wrapping her little arms around her legs. Piper smiled and picked her little niece up.

"Hello, big girl." She turned to her sisters. "Now, shall we go inside?"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Well, I'm going to the diner." Luke gave Lorelai a quick kiss.

"Don't kill anyone!"

Luke sighed. "Bye." And so he left by the back door.

He had hardly left or somebody pressed the bell on the front door. "I'll get it!" Hannah yelled, running out of her room.

The little girl looked up at the tall, blonde man standing in front of her. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Hi, you must be Hannah." The strange man said. How could he know her name? "Is your mommy home?" Hannah nodded, closed the door and ran into the kitchen.

"There's a strange man and he knows my name and he wants to see mommy." The girl said, while trying to catch her breath.

Lorelai frowned and got up. Who could that be? Arriving at the front door, followed by Hannah, she realized that the kid had smacked the door shut in the mysterious visitor's face. She opened the door.

"Chris."

"Hey Lore."

"Hey."

"Are you going to smack the door in my face as well?" Chris grinned as he tried to get Lorelai back to the world.

"Oh, I'm sorry, come in." Lorelai gave him a distant hug.

"She looks exactly like you." Chris said, nodding at Hannah, who was hiding behind Lorelai's legs.

"I've got strong genes." Lorelai smiled, but she couldn't hide her feelings. What was Chris doing here? She hadn't seen him in five years. Sure, she knew that Rory had updated her on his life once in a while, but that was it. Hannah was pulling her sleeve.

"Oh yeah. Hannah, this is Christopher. Remember that I told you that Rory had a different daddy?"

The little girl frowned for a minute and then nodded.

"Well, this is Rory's daddy."

"You're Rory's daddy?" The girl was having a hard time believing that.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Hannah." The girl nodded. This was not so very interesting, so she went back to her room to play.

"So, Chris, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm getting married."

Lorelai frowned. "Well, congratulations."

"Thanks." Chris seemed to be very happy.

Why was he telling her this? "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you and Rory to meet her."

Lorelai stared at him, clueless. "Rory, I understand, but why do you want me to meet her?"

Chris shrugged. "I want your opinion. And you're the mother of my daughter."

"So, she's met Sherry as well."

"No. Lore, I just want your opinion okay, you know me better than anyone."

"Chris, we haven't seen each other in five years."

"Please."

"Okay, whatever, I'll meet her."

"Thanks Lore. Could you maybe, meet her tomorrow, with Rory?"

"Christopher, have you asked Rory about this?"

"No."

Lorelai sighed. "You know what. I'll call Rory and ask her and then I'll call you."

Chris gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Lore. I gotta get going now."

Lorelai nodded. "See you."

And with that, Christopher left the house and drove away on his bike.

Lorelai watched him leave in the doorway. She needed to call Rory.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"And then Miss Patty said that me and Hannah were the best dancers in the class and at the recital we're going to have a solo!"

"Does she ever stop talking?" Paige whispered in Piper's ear, grinning.

"Not often." Piper answered.

While Wyatt and Chris had just come down to give their aunts a hug and then had gone back playing, Prue had started talking.

"Prue, honey? What about you taking Pia to your room and showing her your dolls?" Piper suggested. The girl seemed to find it a good idea and pulled her little cousin up the stairs.

"She's adorable." Phoebe remarked.

"She's exhausting." Piper shook her head. "Earlier she threw Veruca in the toilet because Wyatt had dared her and then she'd come to me claiming that Wyatt had thrown her in. Honestly, it was like being eight again and standing between you and Prue." She looked at Phoebe. "And if Chris hadn't told me that Prue had done it, I probably would've punished Wyatt, while I now punished them both."

"Yeah, the older kid always takes the blame." Phoebe remarked.

Piper frowned. "How should you know, you were the youngest."

"Exactly." Phoebe answered with a grin on her face.

"Four and already a manipulator, you should be proud, Piper." Paige added.

"Extremely."

"So, Doug had to work, huh?"

Phoebe sighed. "Yeah, he's been working around to clock on this big case. Remind me again why I had to marry a lawyer?"

"Because you fell madly in love with him and wanted to carry his children?" Paige tried.

"Maybe that was it."

Piper smiled. "God, I miss this so much. Talking to you guys."

"Piper, we talk to each other constantly on the phone or by the internet."

Piper shrugged. "Paige, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, we missed you too, that's why we came here."

"How long have you been planning this exactly?" Piper knew that her sisters were pretty impulsive, but you can't just decide to go to another state and hop on the first plane.

"Two weeks." Phoebe confessed.

"Two weeks, you hid this from me for two whole weeks? And I just talked to you two days ago, Paige!"

"I know, I almost said something."

Piper's eyes suddenly fell on the clock. "Is it that late already?"

"I told you she'd have all sorts of things planned." Paige whispered in Phoebe's ear.

"Sush."

"Prue, get your dancing clothes! Wyatt, Chris, get down here!" Piper yelled at the stairs.

Five minutes later four little children were standing downstairs.

"Ready to face Stars Hollow, sisters?"


	3. Some GilmoreHalliwell interaction

_A/N: Anyways… I'm in my exams, so don't blame me if my inspiration sometimes let's go. I'm doing the best I can… And about the magic thing, 'cause I'm gonna get that question a lot…I'm still kind of working out how and when I will be incorporating it into the story, because it makes everything veryveryvery complicated and I feel that it is so mean to Piper. So, magic will come, but I don't know how and I don't know when… Thanks everyone for reviewing_

Lorelai entered the diner and sat down at the counter. "Luke, coffee!"

"What's wrong?" Luke asked while putting the demanded drink before his wife.

"Nothing." A sighing answer came.

"Lorelai, I know that face. Something is definitely wrong."

She gave in. "Christopher came by."

"Christopher? Like in Rory's father Christopher?"

Lorelai nodded.

"What did he want?" Luke's tone changed a bit. He didn't like Christopher, not even a bit.

"He's getting married again." Lorelai sighed.

_Why is she sighing? Did she mind? _Luke didn't understand this. "And that's a problem, because?"

Lorelai shrugged. "He wants me and Rory to meet her."

So that was what the sigh meant. Luke's face cleared up a bit. "Why does he want you to meet her? I mean, Rory, okay, she's his daughter, but what do you…"

"He wants my opinion." Lorelai interrupted him. "He says that if Rory and me don't like her, she's probably not right for him."

Luke shook his head. "You're sure this isn't a trick?"

"It's Chris, I'm never sure of that."

Their conversation was interrupted by three very noisy ladies entering the diner and sitting down at an empty table.

"God, I missed this place!" Phoebe exclaimed.

Lorelai turned around surprised. "I didn't know you guys were coming!" She got up and gave both Phoebe and Paige a hug. "You didn't tell me." She told Piper.

"They surprised me." Piper confessed.

"Ladies, what can I get you?"

"Luke!" Both Phoebe and Paige exclaimed rather excitement.

"Hi." Even after years of living with Lorelai, Luke still hadn't been able to cope very well with a lot of excitement.

"I'll have some blueberry pancakes and a vanilla non-fat late, non-fat cream." Paige asked.

"I'm not Starbucks, coffee okay?"

"Still as grumpy as ever, huh? Coffee'll be all right."

Piper nodded

"A salad and coffee." Phoebe added.

"A bagel and a cappuccino."

"Pancakes, fries, a donut and a refill?" Lorelai put on her nicest smile. "Please?"

"You can have one."

Lorelai pouted. "But I want it all."

"Lorelai, that only works with Hannah."

"That's so unfair!"

Luke ignored his wife and went back to the counter.

"I see some things never change."

"Got any advice, Ask Phoebe?" Lorelai wondered.

"On what? How to manipulate your husband?"

"For instance." Lorelai smiled.

"I don't think you really need to have advice on that." Piper commented.

"Where is yours, by the way?" Lorelai asked Phoebe.

"Working, as always." Phoebe sighed.

It was only now that Lorelai realised she missed someone else. "Where's Pia."

The sisters grinned.

"Prue had taken her upstairs to play and when I called them to leave, she'd dressed Pia in her old dance clothes." Piper explained.

"Miss Patty was absolutely enchanted." Phoebe shook her head. "You've gotten me into something, now's she's gonna want to go to ballet too."

"Don't worry, sometimes they grow out of it pretty fast." Lorelai tried to confort her.

"Is Hannah getting tired of dancing?" Phoebe inquired.

"Not at all. I was talking about Rory. She took almost any class Patty gave at the time and gave up all of them. I really don't know how that is though, both Chris and me are pretty good dancers, but that girl has absolutely no feeling for dancing." Lorelai smiled, it reminded her of Rory's debutante ball, when Patty tried to teach Rory and Dean how to dance…

"Hannah unfortunately did inherit the dancing skills of her parents."

"Do you mean that Luke can dance?" Paige wondered out loud.

"What can I do?" Luke asked as brought their orders.

"You can dance." Lorelai said smiling.

Luke knew this was not a time to stop and chat. Jokes were bound to be made if he did… He swiftly went to serve another table.

"You know…" Lorelai said mysteriously. "How long are you guys staying planning to stay?"

"We're not exactly sure." Paige admitted.

"Yeah, we just kind of thought, hey let's go and visit Piper and that was the plan." Phoebe added on.

"'Cause next week, you know,…" She exchanged looks with Piper, who nodded.

"The dance marathon."

"You could see Luke dance and Piper and Leo and I believe that Miss Patty has planned some ballet-intermezzo's."

"Does it mean that we'll have to dance too?" Paige was not really looking forward to that little detail.

"Of course." Lorelai stated.

Piper frowned, but didn't say anything. There was no fun in telling them that there was a tribune…

"Come on Paige, you gotta be up for a dance. Besides, after all those stories I've heard about that thing, I would love to see it." Phoebe however, enjoyed dancing very much.

"Great! It'll be your first real Stars Hollow town event!"

"Eum, Lorelai, do you remember the festival of the living pictures?" Paige would never forget that. One of the women had caught the flu and before Paige could fully understand what was going on, she was on stage.

"I still have many pretty pictures of that night." Phoebe teased.

"Okay, so it'll be your first Stars Hollow dance marathon. This is going to be so much fun!" Lorelai got up. "Now, I have to get to the Inn. See you guys later."

"Bye!"

"Why do I have the feeling we're not being told everything?" Paige asked Piper suspiciously.

"How would I know?" Piper shrugged.

"She's up to something." Paige motioning to Piper.

"They're up to something." Phoebe concurred.

Piper shook her head. "You guys really have too much imagination."

But on the inside, she was smiling…


	4. Remembering the fan dance

**A/N: Sorry it took this long, but exams really suck (got my results today and they were good, but still…) So, here's a new chapter. Hope you like it, I have to admit that because of my writing hiatus, my writing and inspiration isn't really of very high quality… **

**And keep reviewing… Merry Christmas!**

"You know what I don't understand?" Rory asked her mother.

Lorelai shrugged and took a left turn. "Why Chris wants my opinion?" She was trying to figure that out herself.

"No, why he drove all the way to Stars Hollow to ask you. Why didn't he just call?"

Lorelai shrugged, she hadn't quite thought about that yet. "You have a point there."

"I know, mom."

"I wonder what she's like." Lorelai wondered out loud. "I hope she's not Sherry-material again. 'Cause it won't hurt me so much to tell the truth."

"Mom!"

"Well, you know, I can't help it, I tried, but I just didn't like the woman. And the marriage failed, didn't it. She's just not his type."

Rory frowned. "I thought you said you didn't know him anymore."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Okay okay, so, maybe he does have a little bit of reason to ask for my opinion, but you know, what's he gonna do when I don't like her? Dump her, because his high school girlfriend told him too, come on Rory!"

"Why else would he ask?"

"Oh my god!"

"What?" Rory normally was pretty good at following her mother's trail of thoughts, but now she really was lost.

"He wants to break up with her and he wants to use me as an excuse."

"Maybe Luke is right, you do watch too much TV."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Ladies, how can I help you?"

"Three cones with vanilla please." Paige ordered.

"So, I hear you are entering the marathon." Taylor said, while scooping.

Paige frowned. "News sure travels fast around here."

Taylor didn't really respond to the sarcastic tone in her voice. "Has Piper given you all the information you need?"

Paige shrugged. "Not yet, but I'm sure we'll get it."

"Don't forget that every competitor that lasts until the tenth hour, gets a free Doose's ice-cream."

Paige just nodded.

"Well, here you go." Taylor handed Paige the cones and Paige paid.

"Bye Taylor."

"Thank you for choosing Doose's."

Paige shook her head as she left the ice cream parlour. She walked to the bench where Phoebe was sitting with Pia in her stroller next to her.

"Ice cweam!" the little girl exclaimed as she was handed her cone.

"Pia, what do we say?" Phoebe looked 'sternly' at the girl.

"Thank you auntie Paige!"

"You're welcome."

As Pia focused entirely on her ice cream, Paige turned to Phoebe. "Taylor already knew that we were entering the dance marathon."

Phoebe grinned. "Why are you so surprised? This is Stars Hollow."

Paige just nodded. "I know, but well, there is something about this town that just gives me the creeps."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lorelai and Rory entered the diner, where they were meeting Chris. They looked around to find him.

"Lorelai, Rory!"

The Gilmore Girls turned around to see Christopher and a woman sitting at a table.

With a smile they went over to the table, but the elder woman's was rather forced.

"Lorelai, Rory, I'd like you to meet Helen." A redhead, tall, though not like Lorelai, pretty too, was facing then. She wore glasses that matched her hear and clothes that said I've-got-style-but-I'm-not-going-to-brag-about-it. (Lorelai's words, of course)

"Nice to meet you." Rory said, politely, and she offered her hand, but instead Helen gave her a peck on the cheek, and then she proceeded to do the same thing with Lorelai.

"I've heard so much about you!" Helen started as the two other women sat down, still a bit shocked.

"I'm sorry, I startled you with the kiss, I spent too much in Europe I think."

Lorelai smiled. "It's okay."

"You lived in Europe?" Now Rory was interested.

"Yeah, I worked there. I spent most of last year in Belgium."

"Helen works for the NATO." Chris added, quite proudly.

Rory's eyes lit up. "So you lived in Brussels?"

Helen smiled. "You know you're politics."

"I'm a reporter for the Stamford Gazette." Rory explained.

"Chris mentioned that."

Lorelai looked at the woman's hand, she wasn't wearing a ring, so her theory was right, they weren't engaged yet. "So, how did you two meet?"

"Gigi pushed Helen's son off the monkey bars." Chris said. "So, I was punishing, she was comforting and I bought them ice cream."

"That's our Chris, the knight in the shining armour." Lorelai joked and received a frown from her daughter. "So, you've got a kid." She continued.

"Yeah." Helen dug up a picture and showed it to Lorelai and Rory. "Matt's four."

"He's cute." Lorelai said.

"He's adorable." Rory added as she gave the picture back.

"Chris told me you have a four-year-old yourself."

Lorelai nodded, Chris had really filled her in. "Yeah, Hannah, I'm sorry, I don't have a picture, but just imagine Rory twenty years younger."

"Isn't she about that age on the picture that's on your parent's mantelpiece?" Helen asked Christopher.

Both Rory and Lorelai frowned and looked a bit shocked.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" Helen sighed.

"No, Helen, we're just surprised." Lorelai had composed herself.

"They have a picture of me on their mantelpiece?" Rory asked her father.

"Yeah, a few actually, they asked me some last year."

"Why?" Rory didn't understand this. The last time she had seen Chris's parents, well, that just hadn't turned out very well.

"They're proud of you, I guess." Chris shrugged.

Lorelai understood it now. "And knowing Straube and Francine, they are not really people to come crawling back."

Rory shook her head. "I don't understand those people at all."

"I'm not following everything, but after meeting them, I think they think that it would be beneath their standard to admit that they were wrong." Helen intervened.

Lorelai grinned. "Either you have really good people skills, or your mother is a DAR member."

Helen sighed. "The latter, unfortunately. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that I got divorced before I gave birth." The woman shook her head. "It is just not done darling, what will the ladies say?" She quoted her mother.

"Imagine the reaction when you're 16 and pregnant." Lorelai said.

"She would've sent me away, probably." Helen answered. "At least she won't be bothering me about Nathan's debut."

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Rory came out." Christopher said exactly what was on Lorelai's mind.

Helen frowned and looked at the young woman. "Why, in heaven's name, would you do that?"

Rory shrugged. "I did it to please Grandma, it made her so happy."

"It was my mother's evil plan, I had missed mine, for obvious reasons, so she recycled my old dress for Rory." Lorelai still hadn't quite recovered. "We made so many jokes that week."

"Somewhere, you were proud of her." Chris teased.

Lorelai frowned. "Yes, but I also repeatedly mocked her, especially during the fan dance."

"They still do the fan dance?" Helen couldn't believe it. "God, I'm glad I'm not part of that anymore."

"It was not my favourite part either." Rory said.

While Helen, Rory and Chris were continuing the conversation, Lorelai took her cell phone under the table and wrote a text message.

_You found her, Chris. Approved :p_


	5. SHONG, Literati and a little witch

_A/N: First of all… Happy New Year and a lot of luck in 2006…. Here's a new chapter. There's Rory and Jess and something that could lead to magic… (I never expected it to come this early, but hey, you never know) Hope you guys like it. Keep Reviewing! And…chapter 6 will have some dance marathon…but I still have to write it…_

Lorelai, Sookie, Piper, Phoebe and Paige were sitting in Piper and Leo's living room. It was, Lorelai had baptised it SHONG (The Stars Hollow Only Nonsense Group), their weekly girl-talk night. They were disturbed once every x many minutes by one or two children, but that was just as much part of the whole thing as the delicious food Sookie and Piper prepared. Men were banned from the house and mostly watched football, mostly at Lorelai and Luke's, as they owned the biggest TV…

"So I was saying to him: 'Sir, I'm a social worker, not a miracle worker.' And he looked at me and then after the most awkward silence I've ever witnessed he said: 'By the looks of it, you are certainly a social worker.' It's not the just what he said, it's the way he said it." Paige was still grossed out when she thought about it.

"I wanna jump you right in your office?" Lorelai offered.

"Something like that, yeah."

The women laughed.

"I'm glad all I have to deal with are cooking assistants." Sookie said, "I'd probably be in the hospital in shock after the first day."

"I don't know, inadequate assistants and unsatisfied clients can cause a lot of stress and have some very shocking effects." Piper remembered her days at Quake.

Sookie grinned. "Yes, but that's why I have Lorelai. She deals with the personnel and the unsatisfied clients."

"I'm a life saver." Lorelai joked.

"And don't forget Michel." Phoebe added. "Does he still work there?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Lorelai shrugged. "You gotta know him to appreciate him."

Sookie frowned. "What she means is: you gotta know how to annoy him."

Lorelai shrugged, grinning. "I'm just trying to keep the guests entertained."

"Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" A voice came from upstairs. It was Sookie who got up. "I'm coming Martha!"

"She does cry a lot huh?" Paige asked. It had been the third time the girl had come down or Sookie had gone upstairs.

"It'll pass; hopefully, I don't remember her crying this much before." Lorelai answered.

"She just has terrible three's instead of terrible two's." Piper explained.

"God, I hope Pia just skips that phase." Phoebe said.

"Honey, if she's anything like you, that'll be the least of your worries." Piper told her younger sister.

"I wasn't that bad!" Phoebe defended herself.

"We'll talk again when she hits puberty." Piper answered.

Phoebe snorted. "Well, seen as you will have three teenagers by that time, and at least one of them will be neurotic, I'll have it easy."

"Neurotic? Who's neurotic?" Sookie asked, coming from the stairs.

"Piper's teenage kids." Paige said.

"Why would they be neurotic?" Sookie still wasn't quite following.

"Well, when Chr…" Phoebe started and then suddenly stopped.

Piper and Paige flinched.

"Piper used to be horribly neurotic." Phoebe restored herself and hoped Lorelai and Sookie hadn't noticed anything.

"So, Lorelai, how are Rory and Jess doing?" Paige quickly changed the subject.

"Great, Rory's doing great at the newspaper, she's just gotten promoted and she told me that Jess was finishing his book. She said she had read some of it…" Lorelai was rambling away about her daughter and her boyfriend.

"Phoebe, could you please come into the kitchen with me?" Piper said as she dragged her younger sister away from the living room.

Phoebe closed the door in the kitchen.

"What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, it was out before I realised it."

"You can't let down your guard, Phoebe, you can't." Piper sat down at the kitchen table. Although she was keeping her voice down, her face was red from excitement.

"Honey? Is everything okay?"

"No, it's not."

Phoebe sat down next to Piper. "What happened?"

"Wyatt and Prue were fighting yesterday."

Phoebe frowned. "Wyatt and Prue fight everyday."

"Wyatt was claiming that witches didn't exist, while Prue was convinced they were. So they came to me."

"Oh. What did you tell 'em?"

"That I didn't know." Piper sighed. "What if they get their powers, Phoebe, when we can't explain it to them? I don't want the same thing happening to them that happened to us."

"It's out of our hands; it's not up to us anymore." Phoebe understood her sister's worries, but she also knew that there wasn't a simple solution for that problem.

"I'm telling them, when they'll be old enough to understand, I'm going to tell them."

Phoebe nodded. "Maybe that's a good idea, we'll see. Now let's go back inside, before they think we've run."

Piper smiled and they went back into the living room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Rory, you're going to be late!"

"Shut up!"

"I've got the last cup of coffee and if you don't get out of your bed, it'll meet the drain!"

"You wouldn't dare?"

"Wanna guess?"

It took Rory exactly five seconds to get out of her bed and into the kitchen. Jess was standing next to the kitchen sink, holding her mug. It had the phrase _Deny Rory coffee and you'll meet ME_, printed above a picture of Rory-just-out-of-bed. It was a gift Lorelai had given her last Christmas.

"Jess…" She started pouting.

Jess hated it when she did that and handed her the cup, he would've so enjoyed pouring it away.

"Thank you." She sipped her coffee and then gave him a kiss. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd be without a job and if you don't hurry, you'll be without one anyway."

Rory rolled her eyes. "They need me."

"Says who?"

She took a towel and hit him with it. "You're mean."

"You're the one hitting me."

Rory stuck out her tongue and disappeared into the bathroom.

It was a normal morning in the Hartford apartment of Rory Gilmore and Jess Mariano.

- - - - - - - - -

"We were having a class discussion about modern religions and when we were talking about Wicca, the discussion got a little heated. You know those kids, the one bashing the entire thing, the other protecting it. And then Jenny Bray, I mean, she never talks in my class."

"I don't think the kid ever says something in any class."

"Yeah, so, she just starts defending Wicca like it were her life's goal and then Jason Vexin was saying she was a witch and had to be burnt."

"Vexin's insane. He should be in a seminar, not in High School."

"I threw him out and sent him to the boss and changed the subject and Bray ran out as soon as class was over, before I got a chance to talk to her."

Piper was sitting in the teacher's lounge, sipping her coffee. It was the ethics' teacher who had been telling the story. She knew Jenny Bray. A nice girl, a bit quiet, seemed to have a few close friends, was one of her better students.

"If you want, I'll talk to her." She suggested.

The ethics teacher, Dan Thelard, was a thirty-something divorcee, father of two, who moved from Boston to Stars Hollow after his wife left him. "Okay, if you think you can get through to her."

Piper shrugged. "I used to have a friend who was very into Wicca and stuff like that."

"I wish you luck, Piper, she doesn't look like a kid who likes talking to teachers that much." The English teacher said.

"I used to be just like her." Piper explained. "But geekier. Braces, big round glasses and the little sister of the head cheerleader. High School was the longest nightmare of my life. "

The teachers laughed.


	6. It's about staying on your feet

_A/N: I'm horrible. I promised you a marathon and it took me like three weeks to update and it isn't even long. So, shoot me if you will, but school and hobbies and a boyfriend is a lot to cope with, and if it's any comfort to you, I was ill for four days._

_I tell you, it was my biggest nightmare; lying on the couch, watching tv; which sounds pretty good, but believe me, after a while, everything becomes boring and you just get bored after five minutes… Luckily that I had some episodes of GG to watch. I couldn't even read (gave me a headache)._

_Okay, so now that we've ignored that… Here's hour 1-4 of the Stars Hollow Dance Marathon. I don't know if I'm gonna live through 24 "hours", but as you can see here, it are always just little parts of conversations between different characters. Gives me a chance to give you more history…_

_Oh yeah, and you'll probably recognize a piece of Taylor's speech, as it comes from the script of the wonderful episode: "They shoot Gilmores, don't they?"_

_If only I owned the show…_

_Have fun! And don't forget, READ and REVIEW!_

**Hour 1**

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear fellow citizens. As town selectman, I'm proud to be here. The annual 24-hour dance marathon is a very important Stars Hollow event that brings our community together. I would like to remind everyone that all contestants are entitled to free sandwiches, sponsored by Doose's supermarket. Any couple without a number will be disqualified. All couples must be touching at all times. All couples must remain moving at all times. The only time you may stop moving or stop touching is when you hear this horn." Taylor used the air horn. "That sound means you have ten minutes. Ten minutes to get a drink, to eat a snack, take a rest, or whatever it is you can do in ten minutes. And in addition to the ten-minute rest periods, every person participating has been issued a yellow emergency card. In case of emergency, a contestant may hold up the card and leave the floor for ten minutes. If your partner remains on the floor and moving the entire time, then the owner of the yellow card may rejoin them and the contest. First aid is available in Miss Patty's. Please, remember, that if you feel yourself getting lightheaded or having shooting pains or any other stroke-like symptoms, please move off to the side so that your collapse will not get in the way of the other dancers."

"Taylor, just begin." And so Patty saved everyone an hour…

"All right, everybody, grab your partners, make sure your numbers are securely fastened, and let the countdown begin!"

Suddenly almost everyone in the room started shouting. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"

"It's showtime!" Taylor said.

And so the 24-hour marathon began…

"I love that tradition." Lorelai said.

"I'm just glad Patty's here." Her husband answered.

Lorelai grinned as Luke took her in his embrace.

Phoebe looked at the couple. "She wasn't lying, they're great dancers."

Paige just rolled her eyes. "I can't believe they made us do this."

"I think it's not too bad." Phoebe made her sister spin.

"You're just saying that because you got to be Gabrielle."

"What's wrong with Xena?"

Paige frowned. "Where would you like me to begin?"

Piper and Leo passed them. "Hey, look who's there, Mr and Mrs Stevens." Paige commented.

Piper smirked. "You're just jealous."

"Well yes, I am dressed like Xena."

Piper grinned and Leo led her away.

"I'm so getting her back for this." Paige squeezed her eyes.

"Come on sister! Heads up! Let's dance."

Paige rolled her eyes.

**Hour 2**

"Can we stop now?" Jess asked, again.

"We just started." Rory answered.

"We've been dancing for an hour and a half!"

"Yes, which is only 8 percent of the entire event."

"But I'm tired."

"Nonsense, you haven't woken up yet."

"But what's the point in making an idiot of ourselves if we have to let Lorelai win anyway?"

"It's fun!"

"Rory, what's fun about this?"

"It's tradition."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Why did I ever agree with this in the first place?"

"Because you love me?"

"But we can't even dance?"

"It's not about being a good dancer; it's about staying on your feet."

"I can't win, can I?"

Rory smiled, "You're starting to learn." she said, and awarded him with a kiss.

**Hour 3**

"I still think we should've gone for Romeo and Juliet."

"Lorelai, please."

"Luke?"

"I'm dressed like someone named Ozzie. I'm participating in a dance marathon. I would like to emphasise the fact that this is a town event."

"Yes, because you love your Harriet."

Luke rolled his eyes.

**Hour 4**

The sound of the horn was one everyone loved. "Ten minutes, people, not a second longer." Taylor called out.

"Mommy!" It was a little hard to hear which voice belong to whom, but four mothers turned their heads very fast.

Seven little children ran towards them, although the seventh one waddled a little.

Emily Gilmore followed them, looking quite tired.

"Mom, are you okay?" Lorelai asked with concern, while Hannah was pulling her arm.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"Maybe you should just go home and get some sleep."

"I think that might be a good idea."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Lorelai?"

"You're amazing, you now that?"

"Thanks Lorelai."

"And eum, thanks for waiting for the horn."

"We made a game out of it. But Lorelai, next time I suggest something like that. Just talk me out of it next time."

"I will mom."

"Bye." And with that, Emily Gilmore left in search for a bed.

"Mommy, grandma Em taught us a new song." Prue said.

Emily and Richard had become a bigger part in the lives of the Gilmore-Danes's in the last few years. At Hannah's 2nd birthday party, Prue had gone up to Emily. "Grandma?" Of course, Emily had melted and now all the Wyatt kids were calling them Grandma Em and Grandpa Richard. Martha and Davey were taking it over as well…

"A song?" Piper was surprised. Emily had become somewhat of a mother to her too and she knew that she wasn't the singing type.

"Far away, over the rainbow…" Piper stared at her daughter.

Lorelai and Sookie, who had been talking to their children, turned around.

And then suddenly, a horn sounded through the Stars Hollow High gym.


	7. Of famous couples and little dancers

_A/N: Surprise! I'm still alive… I started university, am studying English and French. So, you know, even less them than High School. I had some inspiration today (and some of this had already been written). So, here you go, a new chapter. Enjoy. Read and Review!_

**Hour 5**

"Where'd she get that voice?" Lorelai asked Piper as she and Luke passed their friends.

Piper shrugged. "Certainly not from me, I'm a horrible singer!"

"Honey, you're overreacting." Leo tried.

Piper frowned. "Mom could sing, Prue could sing, Phoebe and Paige are both good singers, but me, I seem to be the exception that validates the rule."

Lorelai grinned. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not such a great singer either"

"Now that is true!"

"Luke!"

"What? You said it yourself."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Men!"

"How come we've never noticed this before?" Piper asked Leo as Lorelai and Luke danced away.

"Her voice changes all the time and it probably just has."

"I had no clue four year olds were even able to produce such a sound."

"Piper, god, you make it sound like she's Oskarchen!"

Piper shivered. "Thank god she's not, I'd kill myself too."

"You would've probably blown her up first." Leo whispered in her ear.

She frowned. "With what, my non-existent magic powers?"

"See, good you don't have them anymore."

Piper looked at her husband, suspiciously. "What exactly has Phoebe told you?"

"Nothing."

"And I'm Santa."

"She really didn't, you've just been very weird about witches and stuff to the kids."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to me. I guess some whitelighter things don't disappear."

Piper grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**Hour 6**

"Well, Patty, who do you find the most originally dressed?" Taylor turned to his fellow presenter and talked in a very tv-show presenter kind of voice.

The woman grinned. "That's easy, Taylor, Jess and Rory."

Jess and Rory both turned their heads. Rory had a triumphant smile on her face. "I told you, didn't I!"

"Did I ever oppose the idea?" Jess had thought it brilliant from the beginning.

"No, but you didn't want to come, so we couldn't have dressed up."

Jess rolled his eyes.

"You tell him, Rory!" Patty said from the stage.

"But, well, they're dressed as ordinary people." Taylor was not quite convinced.

"Hey!" A woman yelled from the other side of the room.

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Lorelai, what seems to be the problem?"

Before she had a chance to answer, Patty spoke. "Taylor, they're dressed as Luke and Lorelai!"

"Oh." Taylor looked stunned. How could he not have seen it, it was so obvious, well, Jess was so obvious, the baseball cap, the plaid shirt. "Well, you know, they're not REALLY a FAMOUS couple." He couldn't just lose this. Taylor Doose didn't lose.

"They are Stars Hollow's most talked about couple." Patty offered.

"You tell him, Patty!" Lorelai yelled, before she thought about what had just been said. Luke looked at her surprised.

"Should we be proud about that?" He asked his wife.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But I'm gonna find out." She led him a bit closer to the stage.

"Patty, when you say 'most talked about', do you mean it in a positive way?"

The woman laughed, like she always did, warm and loud. "Of course!"

Lorelai nodded and turned back to Luke. "We should be."

**Hour 7**

"How could you not mention the fact that you're a man!?"

All the heads in the gym turned to Andrew and his dance partner. The woman/man ran outside, crying, while Andrew followed her, shouting.

"Couple number 17, you are out of the game!" Taylor said, as if he hadn't known this was going to happen.

"This is by far the best thing Andrew has come up with." Lorelai had to admit, and Luke couldn't disagree.

"Do you think he does it on purpose?" She wondered.

"Why would he do that?" Luke couldn't really follow his wife sometimes.

"Because it's tradition, to entertain us with one of his break-ups."

Luke shook his head. "I'm not even going to answer that."

**Hour 8**

"Dancers, public, while you get yourselves something to eat and to drink, the students of the Miss Patty's School of Ballet will perform for you during this break and the one before the 16th hour. We will start with our youngest dancers, they will perform for you an adjusted piece of the nutcracker." Patty put down the microphone and put on the music.

Two teenagers led a group of smiling and waving 4- and 5-year-olds to the middle of the dance floor and then left them there.

The music started and the little girls started dancing.

"Have you noticed that they have no idea what their doing?" Jess asked sceptical.

"They're four, what did you expect?" Rory asked.

"That someone would be there to show them what to do?" He offered.

"But now they feel as if they can really do something alone, kids love that." Paige sat at his other side.

"That's just ridiculous."

"That's psychology." The social worker said.

Jess just rolled his eyes.

One of the girls tripped and started crying. A mother emerged from the audience and picked her up.

"See, now you have a kid scarred for life."

"Jess," He turned to Paige.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Rory grinned.

"You've gotta admit that they're adorable." She looked at her little sister, doing much better than she ever had, and, quite better than most of the other girls. But she was biased, wasn't she?

"Whatever." Jess mumbled.

**Hour 9**

"Auntie! My feet are hurting."

Lorelai frowned at her daughter's boyfriend. "Jess, you say one more thing like that and pull back a bloody stub!"

"Uncle Luke, she's being mean to me!"

"Make that two." Luke added.

"Ok, I get it, come on Rory, we're obviously not wanted here." Jess said as he pulled Rory to the other side of the dance floor.

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Hypothetically speaking, do you want to have kids one day?"

Jess stopped and stared at Rory. "Is this the Gilmore way of saying that you're pregnant?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "What part of hypothetically don't you understand?"

"Seriously? Not that I wouldn't support you if you were."

"Jess, I'm NOT pregnant"

He let out a sigh of relief.

"But one day I'd like to be and I need to know if you'd be okay with that."

"Couple 12, if you stand still any longer, you will be asked to leave."

"Shut up Taylor!" Jess yelled. They did start moving again though.

"Of course I want kids Rory, but, I mean, right now we don't have time to take care of a baby. You've got your promotion, I'm working on my deadline…"

"Jess, relax, I meant, like, in a year or so, if things have calmed down again, we can begin thinking about it."

Jess nodded and kissed Rory. "I love you"

"I love you too."


End file.
